


Anywhere, Everywhere, With You

by Enllyn



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Confessions, Established Relationship, First Dates, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Set in act 3 or further, fanplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26461318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enllyn/pseuds/Enllyn
Summary: School. Home. The Football Museum. A Cat Café. Standing centre stage, the lights shining down upon them. As long as they were together, it would become a place filled with good memories.Written for AzaKyu Week 2020.
Relationships: Hyoudou Kumon/Izumida Azami, Rurikawa Yuki & Sakisaka Muku
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45





	1. Garden of Cats

**Author's Note:**

> Update 26 Sep: Rearranged chapters into chronological order.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Flowers/ **Animals** /Hobby
> 
> The youngest four actors from Mankai Company visit a cat café together!

Much like his fellow cat lover Misumi, Muku also felt that comparisons of their troupemates to cats and dogs were apt. It was easy and fun to liken Hisoka’s love of sleep and desire for warmth to a cat curled up on top of its favourite radiator, turning into a slippery liquid if anyone tried to move him. It would never be admitted outright, but that spot on the radiator was _his_ and no one would take it away.

Azami was also rather catlike, although it was more similar to Yuki’s brand of ‘cattiness’ (not in a bad way). The extreme interest in their passions that they would never budge an inch for, stalking their goals with precision. The stubborn defiance that gave Sakyo migraines. The way trust had to be earned rather than given.

On the other hand, his cousin Kumon had the stark contrast of a loud, excitable, friendly puppy. This was especially apparent when the four Mankai high schoolers visited a cat café together from the way they treated the felines.

It was a cozy nook on the second floor, in an area that was usually known for its vibrant nightlife, with bars and clubs lining the walkway overlooking the river. Being too young to drink, they had only heard of the place through the elders in the troupe, through amusing yet frightening tales of people falling into the river after drinking too much.

As for the café itself, Muku had seen it on Kazunari’s Instegram feed a week ago. His collection of pictures included a displeased Tsuzuru having a staring contest with the black cat sitting on his keyboard, a shot of his cup of coffee with a cat curled up in a basket in the back, and Misumi playing with a pair of cats while a third lounged on his shoulder. He really was a feline magnet. Maybe they enjoyed having a human who could understand them around.

Being a cat lover himself, he had begged the other three high schoolers to accompany him on an evening outing there. “It’s spring break now, and none of us have a play to practice for yet, so, please?”

As much as he denied it, Yuki had never been able to say no to the pleading eyes of his best friend. Kumon was happy to spend time with his younger cousin, so he had agreed immediately, excited to go. And as for Azami, well…

“Azami-kun, won’t you come with Yuki-kun and me to a cat café?”

“…Maybe. At least I’d get to be away from the old man for a bit.”

“Oh, and Kyu-chan is coming to-”

“I’ll come.”

The four boys headed up the wooden staircase, which had adorable cats painted on the walls, as though they were walking alongside them or sleeping on the handrails.

“Will they run away from me like the cats back home?” Kumon stopped halfway on the way up, his expression pensive.

“You’re just too loud, of course they’d be scared.” Azami shot back. “I’ll show you how to do it later.”

“You really would? For me?”

“More for the cats’ sakes, really.”

Before entering the café, guests were required to remove their shoes and wash their hands for the sake of cleanliness. They were then handed a two-sided laminated rule sheet, with the dos and don’ts in the café, such as not waking sleeping cats and not being allowed to use flash photography.

“Look Yuki-kun, they have the instructions in two languages!”

“Hm? You did say this place was pretty popular with tourists, didn’t you Muku? It’s likely done with them in mind.”

“Ehehe, yeah. I like checking out reviews of places of places before I actually go. Kazu-kun’s really good at it since he’s used to travelling and exploring so he helped me out.”

“Of course Friendly McExtrovert would be good at that.”

Muku took in the ambience of the café. It was smaller than some he had come across before, but was still bright and spacious despite the setting sun. Black leather sofas lined the right wall, accompanied by colourful cushions, with one shaped like taiyaki. A huge, fluffy black cat lay atop it, daring anyone to move him.

Fortunately for them, there were very few guests that evening. Apart from the pair of staff members, the only other humans in sight were an aqua-haired girl and a dark-haired girl sitting at the farthest end of the couches, deep in conversation. Later that evening, Muku would hear them discussing lyrics to their newest song about pirates, but would remember that he had always been taught not to eavesdrop.

As he had mentioned earlier, Azami was trying to show Kumon how to ‘befriend’ the cats. He placed his hand in front of a sweet-looking white cat and allowed her to smell it before she allowed him to stroke her.

“You need to let them come to you, rather than chasing them around. They’re not like those dogs that desire your attention.”

After a while, the white cat mewed and trotted away, hopping in a nearby box with a cat face-shaped hole. “And they choose when they want to leave.”

Shortly after, one of the staff members placed four steaming cups of hot chocolate on the box, since it also doubled up as a table for guests. She was tall for a lady, standing around the same height as Kumon. “Eh? We didn’t order any drinks though…” Muku looked at the drinks in confusion.

“Ah…” the lady shifted her glasses nervously. “Students get a free one on the house if they stay for long enough. You… _are_ students, right?”

“Yes, we are,” Yuki cut in. “Thank you for the drinks.”

“Thank god,” Azami sighed, taking a seat on the floor. “Sometimes I get asked for my ID to make sure I’m as young as I say I am.”

Yuki badly covered up a laugh with a fake cough. He never had that problem, although he did sometimes get asked to leave male public toilets for being thought of as a girl.

They sat in silence for a while, basking in the relaxing atmosphere. While Muku loved being at the dorms with his friends and family, he agreed with Yuki that at times it could be a bit too boisterous for his liking. It was only a given with over 20 people living under one roof, but it did not mean he could not appreciate the peaceful times with Yuki, his cousin, and Azam-

“Kumon! The string toy isn’t a windmill!”

Well, it was peaceful while it lasted.

Muku looked back to see Kumon on the floor, swinging a stuffed rat on a rod in circles in front of an expectant, yet confused beige tabby. His eyes tracked the toy’s movement with interest, yet he could not decide on when to pounce. What kind of prey moved like that?

Irked by Kumon’s lack of sense when it came to playing with cats, Azami grabbed hold of the older boy’s wrist to stop it. “See, you flick it,” he jerked the toy to the right, then to the left. The tabby leapt the second time, but he missed as Azami swung the rat upwards. “They enjoy the chase, so don’t let them get it too soon.”

“I get it! Hehe, Azami’s so smart~”

It was rather cute to see Azami being so patient in his own way, without losing the penchant for lecturing that he must have picked up from Sakyo. The pair remained like that for some time, Kumon sitting cross-legged on the floor with Azami kneeling behind him, the cat a beige blur darting around in front of them.

“How long do you think Brocon Mini has before Azami notices?” Yuki commented offhandedly.

“I’d give Azami-kun another... three seconds?”

Right on cue, Azami jumped away from Kumon like he was a cat who had been spooked by a cucumber. “Personal space,” he muttered as he returned to the box-slash-table that the two St. Flora boys were still sitting around. His face was burning, but the older two were kind enough not to point it out. Yuki had reduced interest in others’ interpersonal relationships, while Muku preferred not to tease or interfere, telling Yuki things like “I want to watch their relationship bloom naturally.”

Yuki was glad that he thought that way, despite his love for shoujo manga, of which many were ‘heart-pounding romances’. When they had first met, Yuki had expected him to love playing cupid, but it turned out he did not. Or at least, not overtly. “You can only give people gentle nudges, if you push something too hard it might spring back and break.”

 _Surprisingly sound advice from Wonder Boy_ , Yuki thought. Even though he had his head in the clouds a good amount of the time, even though he trusted people too easily, he was perceptive in certain areas that Yuki usually took little notice of.

If only the purple-haired boy a slight distance away was as aware, or if the black-haired boy slumped over on the table was less… love-conscious, maybe they could finally stop sitting on that oddly bendy fence of theirs, swinging back-and-forth between being good friends and something more.

 _Someday_ , Yuki hoped. _Someday_.

\--

Apart from playing with the cats and relaxing, cat café patrons were also invited to play the tabletop games or read the books that were stacked neatly on a shelf. The books that appeared to be on the topmost shelf, far beyond Muku’s reach, turned out to be painted onto the wall. He supposed those shelves were just for the cats to lie down on and watch the world go by.

Most of the games were cat-themed versions of famous ones like Duopoly and Clued, but the small box that caught his attention was named Ping Pong Purr. Like the others, it was also a variation of an existing game. Two piles of cards lay within the box; they were almost pristine, so Muku figured that few visitors had played it before. People often overlooked the little things.

The others had entrusted him with the duty of selecting a game to play, and sat in an open circle on the floor while awaiting his return. Muku triumphantly placed the box in the middle before sitting in the empty space between Yuki and Kumon.

“Let’s see… lay the cards out like flower petals…” Yuki read the instructions out loud to them while Azami shuffled the deck. “According to the colour and size of the yarn ball on the centre card, let the cats bat the yarn balls around until there is only one card left, then slap it.”

“Yuki-kun, is that really what it says?”

“Not exactly. Here,” Yuki thrust the instruction manual towards Muku. “Read it yourself.”

It was a game that required speed of both the mind and the hand. Some probably had difficulty reading the numbers on the cartoon cats upside down or sideways, since most of the cards were facing away from each player. Yuki could see the right answer quickly, but was never fast enough to snatch the card away from the others. On the other hand, number sequences had never been Kumon’s forte, and the two of them soon fell behind Muku and Azami.

They were neck and neck, with an even number of captured cards. A slip up from either of them would mean an immediate loss. It seemed like they were at a standstill, in fact, when the enormous black cat hopped down from the sofa and lumbered up to the boys. Well, lumbered up to Azami specifically. He butted his head against Azami’s knee and meowed loudly, seeking headpats and human interaction.

Azami had never been able to fathom why cats liked him as much as they did. He knew felines flocked to Hisoka and Misumi, but they were at _least_ halfway to being cats themselves, so it still made sense. But him? He could not see the connection. He dug his fingers into the cat’s fur and continued playing the card game. It would be fine since he could still concentrate on the cards in front of him, right? Red 20, yellow 6, yellow 30, green 5- Muku smacked the last card in the sequence before he could.

Muku could tell Azami was distracted by the cat, because the look on his face was familiar. He recognised it as the same expression Azami occasionally made when glancing at his oblivious cousin.

Another two rounds passed, and Muku claimed both cards as his. It was Azami’s last chance to make a comeback, since they had agreed on a five-point gap as the winning condition.

“I think we should head back after this, or we’ll be late in getting to bed,” Kumon glanced at the clock. “Azami always talks about how important Cinderella Time is!”

“I’m glad you remember _some_ things I tell you,” Azami shook his head fondly.

Ah, there it was... a distraction of the highest level. Game, set, match for Muku’s victory.

It was a good thing they had left when they did, because they were forced to wait for the next bus after missing one. Yuki was by far the slowest runner among the four, but the others would never leave him behind in an attempt to catch public transport. Izumi would never let them hear the end of it if they returned without one of their troupe members anyway.

The back seats were always good since one could have some level of privacy, and could enjoy the ride without the awkward feeling of possibly being stared at by people. However, the centre seat was always considered a potential hazard since there were no seats in front of it to break one’s fall should the bus jerk forward. Muku feared being flung down the aisle and rolling to the front like tumbleweed. If he rolled fast enough perhaps he would crash right through the front of the bus and onto the road and an oncoming truck would send him into another world, where he would be reborn as a valiant knight whose duty was to save the royal from the clutches of the evil witch. The witch would send hordes of enemies to eliminate him, but he would slay them all and as his reward he would get to marry the royal he saved and they would live happily ever after.

“There are only four of us, Wonder Boy. We can just sit at the sides.” The amount of effort Yuki had to put into keeping Muku on the ground could stop a thousand balloons from floating away.

“Um, right…”

Some twenty minutes later, Azami felt a weight against his side as short strands of hair tickled his neck. No, no, no! Not like this! Leaning on someone who was not his lover, asleep… how could Kumon dare to be so bold, and in public too! Azami resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands at such a blatant act, though it would have hid the blush that was surely blossoming across his face. Instead he busied himself with his phone, hoping that the red would fade by the time Kumon awoke, and he would be none the wiser about the embarrassing effect he had on his friend.

It was bad for Azami’s health, really. He despised the way his heart rate increased at small brushes of skin contact, regardless of whether they had been intentional or not. To have Kumon pressed against his side… Half of Azami wished the bus ride would last forever, and the other wanted the bus to stop that instant and allow him to alight so he could run back to the dorms and curl up on his bed. At least nobody would be able to see him as his mind filled itself with foolish thoughts.

Perhaps one day, he would be able to do something about how he felt. But that day was still too early for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cat café and the area it’s in exist! Just… not in Japan (lol). I’ve actually been there~ Also, the card game is actually called Ricochet.
> 
> If you’ve read my first A3 fic, Nyankai Company, I’m aware that this chapter may sound quite similar (notably the beginning). I just really like cats, even though I don’t own any.


	2. Macarons for Muku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Friendship/Smiles/ **Family**
> 
> Kumon goes on a quest to bake the perfect birthday present for Muku.

Everyone had worries. Worries could be small, like wondering what to eat for dinner, or large and multi-layered, like making sure your lead actor knew his lines even if he had you kidnapped and locked in his hideout.

At that moment, Kumon’s worry was about what to gift Muku for his upcoming birthday. He was always extremely grateful that people remembered his birthday at all, because he had never been sure of whether his birthday was worthy of being remembered. “It’s not a matter of worth,” Yuki had told him the previous year. “We celebrate it not just because we’re your friends or family, but because we like you.”

Muku had, in a slightly comical fashion, broken into tears at his birthday party.

Although his cousin would be happy with almost any present, Kumon wanted to get him something he liked. Their interests did not overlap much, but Muku had prepared an awesome themed tea party for his birthday, so he had to give something cool back! Merchandise of his favourite series would work, but there was a chance that someone else would have the same idea and Kumon did not want to risk it.

“Doesn’t Muku-san like sweets? Chocolate in particular, if I remember right.” Azami was uncertain about how he had gotten roped into Kumon’s quest to find the perfect gift for Muku, but Muku was _his_ friend too, so he supposed it was alright.

“You’re so smart, Azami~ Why didn’t I think of that?”

“It’s in his profile on the company website.”

Kumon pouted at the thought of having forgotten something so important to a precious family member, but making sweets was a genius idea. Perhaps he would do the same for Juza later on that year as well. After all, Omi had been teaching him how to bake some.

\--

“So, Kumon, why are we trying to make macarons for Muku’s birthday when neither of us have _that_ much baking experience?”

“They looked cool! And these are really expensive outside, so wouldn’t it be great if we could make them at home?”

“You couldn’t have chosen something more suitable for, you know, beginners?” Azami shook his head, the bun atop his head swaying as he did so.

(Kumon briefly wondered how Azami would react if he were to unravel the bun and play with his hair. Would he be mad if Kumon were to braid it? It would not be as sleek as the ones Azuma occasionally wore, but Kumon would learn how to do it. Muku sometimes talked about all the hairstyles the heroines had in manga, how they represented certain personality tropes.

“We could try twintails, they’re popular with tsundere-type characters! Or maybe a high ponytail like the sporty ones?” Kumon could almost hear Muku saying.

What kind of character would Azami be in a shoujo manga? The cool, distant love interest whose smiles made girls swoon, or the pretty, sparkly type who grew a garden behind him at every movement? It mattered not, thought Kumon, since Azami was already amazing enough as himself.)

“But it looked cool! Also!” Kumon was not shouting, but he tended to be quite loud regardless. “That’s why we’re practicing before making the actual ones!”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why you didn’t choose something simpler.”

Frankly, part of the reason was that Kumon had checked the recipe beforehand and knew it was fairly lengthy. Sue him, maybe he had just wanted an excuse to spend more time with his partner in baking crime, though he would never bring it up.

It was a really good thing that he had, actually, since the recipe called for ‘egg whites aged overnight’. Making sweets for his brother had given him some skills at least, like cracking eggs with confidence. When Kumon was younger, he would smash the eggs on the side of the bowl too hard and always ended up with raw egg on the floor. Hence, he had shied away from egg cracking for years, until his overflowing love for Juza had prompted him to learn to make sweet treats for his beloved older brother.

Kumon had decided on chocolate frosting as the macaron filling early on, because what was the point of baking for Muku if it did not even have his favourite food in it? They would make that first, since they could keep it for the real batch of macarons as well.

“Ugh… what a lot of sugar.” Kumon stopped cutting butter for the frosting to glance over at Azami, who was meticulously measuring out the needed amount of sugar. “I don’t get how people can take that much.”

“Well, you’re not making it for yourself. I’m not a spice fanatic like you are either.”

“But spicy food is great!”

“At least you’re not as bad as Chikage-san…”

“Chikage-san is something else…” Kumon nodded in agreement.

The pair worked in silence for a while. It was interesting how Kumon did not mind the quiet when with Azami, when he would usually chatter to fill the emptiness. An inexplicable wave of calmness would overcome him, reducing the nervous energy he usually carried with him everywhere. It was part of why he was so fond of Azami’s presence.

If Kumon were more selfish as he had once been, perhaps he would be more possessive of the time they spent together. But Mankai had taught him to share the things he liked, like his brother, whom he now had to share with Tenma and everyone else in the company. Hence he simply appreciated whatever time Azami gave him. Every bit was worth cherishing, and he swore he would not take it for granted as he had his high school baseball team.

He could not afford to lose something so valuable.

In fact, baking side by side with Azami let Kumon imagine a sort of future together. Perhaps they could have a dog? Kumon had always wanted a puppy to play with. But Azami seemed more partial to cats, especially the quiet, relaxed ones, so maybe they could have both.

Before that, he would introduce Azami to his parents again, formally. They would question him about his intentions, but Kumon was sure they would be impressed in the end and give their blessings. Ah, but that meant someday he would have to meet the rest of Azami’s family apart from Sakyo. Meeting the chairman of a yakuza group... how scary!

It was really too early for Kumon to be dreaming of that when they were not even dating. Considering how averse Azami was to the whole topic of love, Kumon doubted he had ever felt it himself. It was disheartening to dwell on how Azami probably did not return such feelings, so Kumon let himself indulge in his fantasies for a little longer.

Just being together would be enough for the time being.

—

Unfortunately, Kumon was too nervous when piping the macaron batter onto the tray, and the little circles all came out uneven in size.

“Kumon, relax.”

“I’m trying.”

Azami let out a small huff, and decided he had no choice but to assist. He could have offered to take over completely, but he knew Kumon wanted to do the majority of the work, so Azami would not take that away from him.

Feeling Azami pressed against his back, with his hand over Kumon’s to steady it reminded Kumon of their trip to the cat café half a year ago. At that point it had been paralysing, ripping Kumon’s focus away from the cat he had been playing with to the pressure on his wrist. It was quite rare for Azami to initiate physical contact, so it always came as a pleasant surprise to Kumon, who was a lot less reserved.

There was no magical electric spark from the touch, but Kumon had loved it all the same. He had marvelled at how time seemed to slow down around him, and he almost wished it would stop completely, so he could remember the feeling of Azami’s hand over his forever.

All too soon, Azami had jumped away from him with a hurried remark about personal space, leaving Kumon lamenting the loss of warmth and the string toy limp in his hand. The memory of that moment had played on loop for the rest of that day, preventing him from having even an ounce of focus when they had played a card game together. Even Misumi had noticed that night, when he had drawn a blank in response to his triangle-loving roommate’s questions about their earlier outing.

This time, Kumon could not afford to lose focus from the contact. He managed to concentrate on the baking tray even though the warmth emanating from his hand begged for his attention, and he and Azami fell into a steady rhythm. One, two, three, release. One, two, three, release. Soon there were twenty round blobs sitting prettily on the baking paper, though the first five were a little misshapen. One major part of their baking quest was done, but they still had to wait for a little less than an hour before baking the macaron shells in the oven.

\--

“How’s it going?” Omi emerged from the hallway to see two of his youngest troupemates on the sofa, still clad in the aprons he had passed to them earlier that afternoon. Azami was doodling in his notebook, thinking about sweets-inspired makeup designs.

“I think… I hope they’re okay.” Kumon got up to show Omi the shells, which were looking quite dry by then. “It’s already been fifty minutes, so I’ll put them in the oven now…”

After doing so, Kumon continued to stare intently at the treats in the oven, as though he was afraid that they would run away if he took his eyes off of them.

“…Thank you for letting us use the baking equipment, Omi-san. Ingredients are one thing, but we’re lucky that all the tools are already here.” Azami gave the man a slight bow. Omi gave his youngest troupemate a laugh and a gentle pat on the head. The equipment was not technically his, but there was some unspoken agreement among the rest of the dorm members that he was the one they had to ask for permission from.

“It’s no problem. What are you two going to do with this lot of macarons? Muku’s birthday isn’t until later this week, and Azami can’t possibly finish all these by himself.”

Kumon was at a loss for a minute. He had not thought through what to do with the practice batch. “I’ll… give the rest to Nii-chan? Then he can tell me whether they’re good or not! Would you like some too, Omi-san?”

“Sure, I’ll give Taichi a couple as well.”

While the macaron’s shape was not immaculate, the taste was still satisfactory, according to Omi at least. Kumon tried a bite of one and swallowed it with a grimace, then passed the other half to Azami.

“Really now.” Azami rolled his eyes, but popped it in his mouth anyway. It was sweet, which was to be expected. He was no sweets connoisseur, but he supposed it tasted pleasant enough. They just had to be more careful next time.

Instead of making the macarons the previous day, Kumon decided that making them the morning of Muku’s birthday was the best way to make sure that they were absolutely _fresh_. The party was going to take place at dinner time, after the adults came home from work. Azami had suggested making them in the afternoon, but Kumon had argued that there was a pretty high chance that Muku would see them in the kitchen and that would ruin the surprise.

That was why Azami set his alarm for 5am on 30th August and crept down the loft bed, careful not to wake Sakyo up. Even _he_ was not usually awake at that time. Seriously, the things he did for Kumon! Granted, he could have told Kumon to make the macarons by himself and woken up when the sun came in through the blinds instead, as he usually did.

It was curious that Kumon had asked for his help even after deciding what to get for Muku, since baking was not really a two-person job. Heck, Kumon had done most of the mixing and folding by himself. Azami swore he was just there to give Kumon emotional support and keep him on track.

Despite that, he had to admit he enjoyed watching the older boy work. Kumon’s determination to get the proportions right and to follow the recipe to a tee was admirable. The tutors probably wished he was that motivated when it came to schoolwork, seeing as that he had barely completed his summer homework the previous day.

Kumon’s resolve paid off when he presented Muku with a small pyramid of macarons that evening. The pink-haired boy smiled so widely that Azami worried his face would split in half.

“Azami helped me make them!”

Muku giggled upon hearing that, as though he knew something they did not.

With so many people within the dorms, there was a birthday celebration every two or three weeks. Azami had never really been the partying type, but he could see the appeal in having frequent events that everyone could participate in together. Even though most of them were not related by blood, it made the members feel like family, and the dorms feel like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw episode 5 was out and immediately inserted a Chikage joke.


	3. Obliviously Obvious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Free Day  
> The self-chosen theme/trope is ‘mistaken for dating’~ I thought it would be a fun challenge since there’s one scene that I knew I would definitely struggle with.

Another day, another shopping trip. A good chunk of Mankai Company’s income must have gone towards food, although that was to be expected in a dorm full of healthy young men. Unlike cooking, there was no distinct rotation for grocery shopping, as Izumi tended to simply call upon whoever was available at the time, or whoever she caught sight of in the living room first. That day, it happened to be Juza and Azami.

Juza appreciated not suddenly having to do an etude as they hauled the bags back to the dorm. Once, with Banri, an argument sparked over whose bags weighed more had turned into an impromptu skit about a supermarket thief. They had found out early on that converting their frequent fights into etudes was the best way to prevent the company from appearing in the local news with the headline ‘Mankai Company Actors Spotted Brawling Over Groceries’, because Sakyo would have chewed them out for hours.

Well, and Izumi would have been disappointed in them. Juza was not sure which was worse, frankly.

As they stopped at a red light, Juza turned to his shopping partner for the day. “…Azami.”

“Juza-san?” It was unusual for Juza to initiate conversations, although Azami had heard that it used to be far worse, when he was nervous about talking even to his younger cousin, afraid that being associated with him would cause negative effects.

“It’s nothin’ much. Just wanted to say thanks for always makin’ Kumon happy.”

“You’re welcome?” Azami was unsure of how to respond to such a statement being thrown at him out of nowhere. Did it carry some kind of additional meaning? Was it normal to be thanked by your friend’s older siblings? He did not have any siblings himself, so he concluded that it might have just been a Juza thing. Azami wondered if he had said the same thing to others before, like the rest of the Summer Troupe or Yamaguchi.

“He always talks ‘bout you.” To think such a simple statement could warm Azami up internally. He hoped it would not show on his face, but in spite of his usual cool demeanour he had always been prone to blushing profusely at the drop of a hat. He hated that his body betrayed him like that.

“Y-You too…”

In the past, when Juza had fleetingly imagined his younger brother getting into a relationship, he always pictured a similarly energetic, loud person to match. Someone on the same wavelength as Kumon, who would be able to keep up with him. At the same time he worried that they would be put off by Kumon’s love for _him_ , and it would be unpleasant if they got jealous.

His youngest troupemate was not quite what he had in mind, but a more level-headed person was what his brother needed to keep his feet on the ground. They had a fine balance, Juza felt. Azami was a good kid.

\--

Juza swiftly dodged his baby brother’s attempt to hug him after stepping through the door. Despite his size, his actions could be surprisingly graceful, honed through years of street fighting and choreographed fight scenes.

“I’m gonna drop tonight’s dinner if you do that.”

Backing off immediately, Kumon asked “What’s for dinner?”

Bags in hand, Azami and Juza shared a glance. Turmeric in the shopping list was a dead giveaway. “Curry,” they said in unison.

Kumon groaned.

\--

“Kyu-chan, look! You’re in Kazu-kun’s latest post~” Muku held out his phone to his cousin. “Candid shots are the best!”

Kazunari’s post consisted of only two pictures this time.

“Super friendly rookies~ Aren’t they cute? (*^ω^*)” read the caption.

The first picture was of Kumon peering over the couch, looking at something on Azami’s phone. Kumon had no memory of this photo being taken or of how he had swung his arm over Azami’s shoulder, because it had felt so natural at the time. Until the black-haired boy shook him off, that was. He always did.

The second picture he _definitely_ had no memory of, because he was asleep in it. Azami was laying a blanket over him - _Ah, so that was where that mystery blanket had come from last week._ What caught his eye, and probably what had caught Kazunari’s as well, was the undeniably soft gaze Azami had. Wow, he was… really beautiful. Kumon had to stop himself from saving the picture into Muku’s phone because it was, well, Muku’s phone and not his.

“Kyu-chan?” Muku looked slightly concerned.

Kumon took a deep breath and chose his next words carefully. “They’re… nice, but I think I’d better ask Kazu-san to take them down before Azami sees.”

“Oh… why?”

“He’d say they’re too shameless. _And_ he would be mad that his pictures were taken without his knowledge. I mean, that’s fair.” _He would also hate to be thought of as being with- with me in that way…_

Even though he thought about that, Kumon still saved both pictures into his camera roll before asking Kazunari to remove them from his feed.

\--

“A-chan, are you free tonight?” Taichi bounded up to Azami after dinner.

“I guess I am…” Azami replied noncommittally.

“Awesome! Meet me on the balcony at 8 for a love story competition!”

“…Hey, Taichi-san! Wait!” By the time Azami had fully processed Taichi’s words, the redhead was already off and running. Going by the idea that silence meant consent, he supposed he was obligated to attend.

Oh well, he could afford to humour the puppy-like boy once in a while.

An hour later, Azami found himself on the balcony by himself. It was not that Taichi was late, but that he was early. He needed time to collect his thoughts

Come to think of it, Taichi had invited him to do the same thing shortly after his first play. Predictably, Azami had refused to go, because he had never been interested in Taichi’s never-ending attempts to get a girlfriend. It would have been a pointless, not to mention shameless, conversation.

It was a conversation he still was not keen on having, now with additional reasons that mostly involved him being afraid of revealing... feelings he half-wished he never had. Yet he could not bring himself to let them go completely, not when something as simple as seeing that person’s grin could lift his spirits, or how sitting side by side on a bus could fill him with so much warmth. No, he was too young, it was much too early for him to be thinking about how he l-

“A-chan! I’m surprised you came!” Taichi cut off his train of thoughts before it could go too far.

“W-Well you didn’t give me the chance to say no!”

“Whoops~” Taichi joined the younger boy in leaning on the banister. “I’m sure you have loads of things to talk about though! C’mon, gimme the deets!”

The... details? Of what? Going by the topic of the evening, Taichi must have been expecting a... a love story. What sort of love story did Azami have to tell? “What?”

The expression Taichi gave him was as though he was talking to a small child. “Tell me everything about Kyu-chan.” An odd question to start off with, asking for a scoop on another troupe member’s life.

“Hmm... I-I think he mentioned having a girl c-confess to him in middle school? But what about it?”

Taichi affixed him with an even more withering look. He must have learnt it from Yuki.

“No, I mean you,” he pointed a finger at Azami for emphasis. “I want to hear about _your_ relationship with Kyu-chan.”

The internal screams multiplied tenfold. Blood rushed to his ears as words formed incoherently in his mind. Even if Azami had secretly daydreamed of it, of holding that hand within his, or of being able to hold that person close... Even if he had imagined a future together, even if he cared more about that person than anyone else, they were most definitely not dating! So what had given Taichi that impression?

“I-I-” Somehow, it took a great amount of effort to refute the false statement. If Azami was more honest with himself, it was because he desperately craved for it to be true. But for now, all he had to say to Taichi was-

“We’re n-not. That would be too...” Amazing. Wonderful. Dreamlike. “...early in life.”

Hah. Saying that with a shaky voice and a crimson face surely reduced how convincing he sounded.

“WHAT?!"

And then, silence.

“...I’m sorry,” Taichi said after a long pause. “I’m sorry for assuming. I thought that you guys had gotten together over the summer, and that you were just too shy to tell anyone.”

Deep breaths. Deep breaths, Azami. “What made you t-think so?”

Taichi brightened up a little, happy to discuss one of his favourite subjects. “Remember that blog post you wrote in summer? Kyu-chan’s in your memories so much.”

“Everyone writes about each other, Taichi-san. I just happened to write about him that time.”

“You always come home together.”

“I mean, we go to the same school?”

“Even… Even before this school year started. You gave him a different gift from everyone else on Valentine’s Day.”

“I couldn’t give him chocolate because he hates sweets.” Azami conveniently ignored how he had given Chikage chocolate anyway, despite knowing that the spice lover would pawn it off to his coworkers or someone else in the company.

Taichi’s brow furrowed as he tried to think of more concrete reasons, then he snapped his fingers as a lightbulb went off in his head. “Kazu-kun’s recent Inste post! We thought y’all were goals and super cute!”

“I don’t remember seeing that.”

“Oh! Well…” Crap, he had forgotten why Kazunari had taken it down in the first place! “The truth is, he deleted it a few minutes after.”

That piqued Azami’s curiosity. “Why?”

“Kyu-chan asked him to, because he thought _you_ wouldn’t like it. We figured it was because you wanted to keep your relationship a secret, but I guess we were wrong... I’m really sorry about that!” Truly, Taichi looked like a kicked puppy.

“It- It’s alright, Taichi-san,” Azami tried to placate the older boy. “I’m just surprised you thought I’d be involved in something so…” Bright. Happy. Fantastic. “…scandalous.”

Taichi chuckled. “You still think like that huh, even after falling in love.”

“D-Don’t just say that so easily!”

“I’m just saying, I don’t think there’s anything scandalous about dating. Well, that sounds silly coming from me. But if it were me, I’d thank every god out there that I’d managed to have someone like me back…” By the time he finished talking, Taichi’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“So!” His volume suddenly rose again. “I think if you feel that way right now, you should do something about it! If not, someone else might get to him first, so you can’t lose this chance!”

Maybe, just maybe he could give it a shot.

\--

“Why does Kazu-san think we’re dating?” Kumon stretched out his arms behind his head as he finally finished his homework for the day. After dinner, the two Tsukushi High students had taken over the dining table, somehow managing to discuss their work even though they were two years apart. Sakuya and Omi had finished washing up the dishes, and the rest of the dorm’s inhabitants had already returned to their rooms.

“I-Is that so?” Azami squeaked at the end. Damn it, that part of puberty was already supposed to be over.

“Yeah, when I asked him about some pictures on his Inste feed he said he originally wanted to write ‘Rookie Sweethearts’ as the caption but thought it was ‘too direct for a couple that wants to stay lowkey’. Kazu-san was soooo surprised when I told him we weren’t even together!”

Taichi had already vaguely mentioned what Kazunari thought of them, but hearing about it again, from Kumon no less, was an incredibly awkward experience for Azami. “Thanks, it’s... weird that people think that way. The other day, Taichi-san also asked me about our re-” He could not bring himself to say it. “-about what we are to each other.

“I said we were good friends, of course, because that’s the truth, right? The truth, and nothing but the truth...” Even to his own ears, Azami sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“Hmm...” Kumon seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. “Then, do you wanna be more than that?”

Azami had never been an extremely talkative person, but every word left his mouth at that moment. Heck, every thought escaped his mind. Was that what people meant when they said ‘head empty’? Actually, was Kumon being serious? He was not the type to joke about such things but to be more than friends would mean to be... It would be so much, so fast, but they could probably go slowly. He trusted Kumon to wait for him to be ready. Come on, he could not freeze up for so long. He had to reply.

“What?” He said. _Good going, Azami! An award-winning performance!_

“Do you want,” Kumon spoke slowly. “To go out with me. As more than good friends.”

It was a question that only warranted a yes or no. The latter was so incredibly tempting, because it carried no risk other than having to continue to bottle up the feelings Azami felt bubbling up, like they always did in Kumon’s presence. He had already been doing it, and one day they would probably fade away as though they had never been there. Yeah, fat chance. It would take years to wipe his memories of the bright-eyed boy.

That left him with only one other option. It was not that he hated it, but that he liked it too much. “...Okay.” Azami wondered if he would be heard over the hum of the ceiling fan.

From the way Kumon’s eyes grew impossibly wide before squeezing the air out of Azami with a crushing hug, he definitely had.


	4. What Makes a Date a Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: **Firsts/Dates** /Marriage
> 
> It should just be like any other outing, right?

“Kyu-chan, you should go on a date with Azami-kun!” Muku chirped happily as he bit into a kame bun - one of many in the half-box he was sharing with Juza. The other half was sitting on Azuma’s dresser in room 206, to be consumed when Hisoka returned from his part-time job serving drinks.

To his credit, Kumon’s expression remained completely neutral, even if the tips of his ears turned a shade redder. The three cousins were seated on the plush cushions in room 202, surrounded by Kazunari’s meticulously painted art pieces on the walls. This was their most common meeting spot within the dorms, for multiple reasons.

One, Misumi tended to select rather... unusual decor for room 203. That was not a problem in itself, but after Tasuku had complained about a growing number of pictures of his deltoid muscles covering the walls, Muku had never been able to see the room the same way again. Two, that was one of Kazunari’s favourite hangout spots due to his love for the ‘vibes’ that the room had, so that room as a gathering place was already taken. Whether the vibes were from its original inhabitant or the physical room itself remained a mystery. Three, Banri liked his private space, especially if Juza was not in it, and definitely not with the presence of another two members of Juza’s family.

“Hmm…” Kumon thought about it for a while, his brows furrowing. “But we already hang out a lot, so what’s the difference?”

His younger cousin seemed stumped by the question, as though he was unprepared for it. Despite all the romance titles Muku had read over the years, he had no recollection of any book specifying what made a date a _date_. Simply spending one on one time together? Some depicted it that way, while others included a more expensive, planned excursion to a theme park followed up by dinner. There was no one fixed way to define a ‘date’.

Hence, he turned to Juza for an answer, since as the oldest of the trio he probably had some sort of experience by now, right?

He did not.

“I don’t think you’ve gotta think so hard about it,” Juza mused, reaching for the last kame bun in the box. “If you say it’s a date then I guess it is.”

Well, that settled the question.

\--

“Brocon Mini, stop being so jittery,” Yuki snapped in a mildly annoyed fashion. “You trust me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Good.” Although Yuki was well aware that Azami would be relatively non-judgmental when it came to Kumon’s attire, he still wanted his troupemate looking his best. What kind of friend and designer would he be if he did a shoddy job at something like picking out clothes for a date?

A dark coat and pants with a lavender shirt would be fine. “And this,” a lightweight yellow knit scarf that almost appeared gold was placed around Kumon’s shoulders. “Should bring out the colour of your eyes.”

“Thanks, Yuki!” With a shout, Kumon was out of the room and running down the stairs. Yuki had no clue where he got the energy from, but he would be lying if he said he was not the least bit curious about the so-called date that Kumon was going on. It sounded like some idea that Muku had put in his head, although it was not a bad thing. Whatever made his friends happy.

Though… those two already hung out together all the time, did they not? What made this so special? Had he, Yuki, perhaps already been on dates without knowing it? That would be weird. He decided he would ask Muku about it.

It turned out Muku was not sure either. Whatever. They would figure it out at some point.

\--

“I’m on my way!” Kumon sent a quick LIME to Azami as he speed-walked down the street towards the station. Although they could have left from the dorms together, Azami had wanted to check out a newly released blush palette in the mall, leaving Kumon to fret about his clothes until Yuki had come to his rescue.

Azami was always easy to spot from a distance, with his jet-black hair and neat bun. He was tall for his age too, unlike Kumon, who was shorter and a bit stockier. Azami was waiting right next to the gates, unaffected by the people flowing in and out of the station.

Oh dear, Kumon was running towards him.

Bracing himself for impact, Azami tucked his phone into his pocket. Ever since Kumon had conf... ever since they had found out their feelings were mutual, Kumon had become a lot more physically affectionate. He had always been a tactile person, asking for headpats from his older brother, hugging the other members of his troupe after a good performance, or slinging his arm around people. On the other hand, Azami had been wholly unused to it since Sakyo was not the kind of person to dole out that sort of casual touches, even to his young charge.

Thinking back on it, Kumon had been holding himself back, because he definitely noticed how Azami would involuntarily bristle when people so much as stood too close to him. He would always ask for permission before throwing his arms around the taller boy, afraid that if he pushed too much Azami would retreat away and he would lose the opportunity forever. Being held always felt calming, like a warm blanket being cast over him, but if it lasted for too long Azami would begin to worry if friends were allowed to hug for an extended period of time. So, he would always let go first, and ignore how the warmth would immediately be missed.

Now that they were... together? Dating? They were about to go on a date were they not? Azami was a little more open to accepting those gestures of affection, even if he still rarely initiated them himself. Hence, he opened his arms and caught Kumon in his arms with a small grunt, stumbling backward two paces. Even though Azami was taller, Kumon was solidly built and weighed the same amount or even slightly more than him.

“Azami...” Kumon mumbled happily, muffled slightly by his coat. “‘M happy to see you.”

Azami sighed a bit, though he was not particularly irritated. “We just saw each other this morning...”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t be happy to see you anyway!”

Well. Azami had no counterargument for that.

“Anyway,” Azami said, retracting his arms and immediately lamenting the feeling of loss, “We should probably get going before we miss the train.”

“Yeah!” Kumon pumped a fist into the air as they headed through the gates. Although he had been a bit nervous at first, he really was just hanging out with Azami as they always did, except that he was now allowed to admire him openly, as long as he was not obnoxious about it. Azami would still get embarrassed if he noticed, though. “Something on my face?” He would say.

“I think your eyes are pretty,” the reply would fall from Kumon’s lips naturally, and Azami would flush but maintain eye contact regardless.

They were headed for the Football Museum, which was a good half an hour from Veludo Station by train. It had been Azami’s choice; Kumon thought it would be fair to let Azami pick their first ‘date’ location since he had been the one to ask Azami out. Frankly, Azami was unsure if those two things were equivalent in any way.

He had thought about all their usual haunts along Veludo Way, but it would really have ended up feeling like any other outing. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Taichi had caught wind of the whole situation, and had showed up in room 106 with an armful of magazines. “Look A-chan, this one has a list of 100 first date ideas!”

Going out of town to eat sounded like a bit much for a pair of high schoolers, and they had already been to plenty of places together. He was about to give up when the magazine read ‘95. Go to a museum.’

“Oh!” Taichi lit up. “I remember there’s a Football Museum near Hongo-sanchome station. You like football, don’t you?”

Azami did like football, and since it was also sports-related it would be easier for Kumon to appreciate compared to a makeup museum, which was the first thing he had thought of. Did makeup museums exist? A quick Boogle search told him yes. It should not have surprised him, when he had heard of a toilet museum somewhere...

The exterior of the Football Museum was largely grey with blue highlights, with a rather imposing staircase leading up to the entrance. There were quite a number of visitors, ranging from enthusiastic children to exhausted adults. “Hmm... you don’t see many couples in places like these do you?” Kumon commented, looking at the people around them.

“I guess it’s not very... romantic...”

“Well, I don’t think the place matters so much as long as you can have fun together.” Kumon grinned, like being with Azami was all he needed to be content, and what was Azami to do other than smile back? That grin of his was too infectious.

They headed down to the lower stand, where the admission tickets were being sold. “Um...” as they were on the escalator, Kumon fidgeted nervously and looked back at Azami. “Since I’m older, should I be the one paying?”

Azami bit back a laugh. “Really, of all things to worry about?”

“But, I AM older!”

“It’s not like you’re older to the extent where you’re working or anything, maaaybe I’d consider it if you were.” 

“Taichi-san said-“

“Maybe if he’s trying to impress someone. But you don’t need to impress me like that.” _Because your presence is enough for me,_ Azami thought, but it was too embarrassing to verbalise.

Kumon seemed a bit dejected upon hearing that before perking up again. “I’ll- If you want anything from the souvenir shop later, I’ll get it for you!”

Azami sensed that he was not getting out of this one. Pick your battles, they said. “Alright, alright, let’s get our tickets and go in already.”

—

Even if Kumon was far more interested in baseball, the Football Museum had still been an absolute blast for him. There had been so many shirts used by the national teams on display, tracing back over 80 years. The exhibit that amused him the most was the face mask, to think that its owner had coloured it using a marker! He swore he had heard Azami laugh softly behind him upon reading the description too, but the younger boy had already schooled his face back into a neutral expression by the time Kumon looked.

Unfortunate. He liked seeing Azami’s smile.

After leaving the museum, Azami suggested taking a walk at the nearby park. Yes, they had a lovely park near the dorms, but it would be a shame not to take the opportunity to explore a bit more of a different part of the city. Autumn was an ideal time to wander around since they had escaped the heat of the summer months, yet the winter chill had not fully set in.

Despite thinking that way, Azami shivered. He had always been prone to the cold, opting to wear an additional jacket under his blazer in school, or a thicker hoodie with his Tsukushi High jacket during practice. It was annoying but he had learnt to deal with it.

“You’re cold, aren’t you?”

“I’m-” before Azami could finish his sentence, Kumon was already taking off the scarf neatly draped around his shoulders. “-fine…”

“Can’t have you getting cold!” Kumon tucked the still-warm scarf around Azami’s neck, shifting the hood of his coat in order to tie it properly. Then for the second time that day, he threw his arms around the dark-haired boy, one arm around his shoulders and the other at his back. Bodily contact was definitely the best way to stop someone from feeling cold, right?

Kumon was always warm, even when not feverish. Azami allowed himself to feel like he could get used to the soft, yet firm embrace. His hood may have cast a shadow, but anyone would easily have noticed from a distance how his face glowed. Whenever the cold came back, he hoped Kumon would be there to chase it away.

—

The train was extremely crowded on their way back. That was expected, since it was both a weekend and peak hour for people to go out or return home for dinner, the latter of which they were also doing. At least they had managed to nab a corner and could avoid being jostled by entering and exiting commuters. However, the lack of space also meant that their sides were pressed together, a fact that Azami was made extra aware of when Kumon tiptoed slightly and whispered, “May... may I hold your hand?”

Azami fought the urge to say yes, of course you can, because it was indecent and they were not wed and- “No!”

“Oh... even if no one sees?” Azami could physically see Kumon deflate, though his gaze remained hopeful. Azami debated internally with himself. On one hand, it was a very shameless act, but on the other hand, he had always wondered what it would feel like to have that hand in his. They were not married, but people usually dated for marriage, right? And if there were no witnesses, he could deny doing it.

So he did.

\--

Yuki chided them the moment they stepped through the entrance. “Kumon’s scarf does NOT go with your teal jacket, Azami! What were you guys thinking…?”

Kumon laughed nervously. Of _course_ their date would end with them getting lectured by the local fashion police.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Football Museum is real! But I've never been there.  
> Tasuku's line on Misumi's birthday this year was just too funny.


	5. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1: **Roles/Costumes** /Makeup
> 
> Mankai Company prepares for another mixed play. This time the leads will be Kumon and Azami!

“…Here. The script.” For the more recent plays, Masumi had taken on the task of delivering scripts to his dear Izumi, rather than hauling his limp scriptwriter roommate into the living room to do it half-asleep. Not to mention Tsuzuru was taller and distinctly heavier than him, and probably needed his sleep anyway. Plus, he got to see the director for a while! A win-win situation all around.

“Oh! Thank you, Masumi-kun.” Masumi continued to stare at Izumi expectantly, waiting for further instructions or praise. He was less obsessive than he had been when he was still in high school, but he was still very attached to her. After glancing through it, she said, “Help me make four copies of the script, please?”  
Masumi was happy to oblige, and handed her a small stack of paper before returning to his room. “Call Tsuzuru-kun out here when he’s up!” Izumi yelled after him before thumbing through the papers.

This play was a blend of mystery, fantasy and friendship. It reminded Izumi of those small town horror stories, though there were no overtly scary moments. She noted that there was a point near the end where the script branched off; it seemed like Tsuzuru had been unable to decide on which ending he wanted to use. Although not the first time he had struggled with the conclusion, it was the first time he had left the struggle in the script itself.

In one, the co-lead died after finally finding someone he trusted again. In the other, the co-lead narrowly escaped death, although the play ended before the leads could reunite.  
An hour later, Tsuzuru sat on the sofa across from Izumi, together with Azami and Kumon, since it had already been established that the two of them would be leading. It made sense, since Chikage and Guy had been the leads during an earlier play.

“Before we start for real, what do you want to do with these two endings, Tsuzuru-kun?”

“About that… I wanted to ask how these two-” he gestured at the two boys sitting to his right. “-felt about it. One of the leads’ deaths would have a great impact on the audience, but we’ve had quite a lot of bittersweet endings lately. I thought it would be good to have their input.”

“I don’t want to imagine a world without Azami…” Kumon trailed off, melting into the sofa.

“Tsuzuru-san, I want to perform the second ending.” Azami said firmly. “I think a hopeful conclusion is good too.”

Honestly, Tsuzuru expected this. Even if they were just acting, the thought of losing a loved one was unpleasant, especially for the younger ones. They were further from the inevitable end, after all.

“I wrote the lead roles with Kumon and Azami in mind, with the upbeat and curious Finn for Kumon; and the withdrawn and hopeful Kipa for Azami.”

Izumi hummed thoughtfully. “Then, Azami-kun will play Finn, and Kumon-kun will play Kipa.”

“Director, I just said-“

“Did I stutter? I think it’s good for them to act differently from how they usually are, this isn’t their first time leading anymore.”

“But-” Tsuzuru was cut off by a loud sigh from Izumi.

“Tsuzuru-kun. If this turns out badly I’ll fund your coffee for the next year, but I trust that Azami-kun and Kumon-kun will be able to pull it off. Do you trust them?”

Tsuzuru had walked right into that one, and had no choice but to relent. “Yes, Director.”

“Good!” Izumi clapped her hands. “Plus, Kumon-kun has already played a detective during Scarlet Mirror. Now, for the supporting roles…”

At that moment, Sakuya stepped through the door. “I’m back~” he chirped. He stopped when he saw them sitting in the living room. “Director, Tsuzuru-kun, Azami-kun, Kumon-kun, are you preparing for the next play?”

“Yeah, but we’re thinking about who should play the other roles. The town mayor Lorelai is a schemer, but looks very welcoming. He seems completely innocent until the last few scenes…” Wait, that sounded like something his sweet-faced, bright troupe leader could pull off. “Sakuya, do you want to play a villain?”

Sakuya fidgeted nervously. “But I don’t look like the bad guy at all? At least, that’s what you guys tell me when we play Werewolf together. I never get voted out first.”

“Exactly!” Izumi chimed in. “Lorelai isn’t meant to look suspicious. Finn thinks Lorelai’s just an ordinary, friendly mayor until the last few scenes, when he realises he’s been too idealistic.”

“Okay then, let me see the script.” Sakuya pored over the pages for a bit. “If I may, I think Tsuzuru-kun would be able to play a good Nolkath.”

“Eh?” Tsuzuru sputtered.

“Tsuzuru-kun is very unfazed by everything! He’ll fit you perfectly.”

For the second time that day, Tsuzuru was forced to agree with a decision he did not approve of.  
\--

The first few read-throughs went decently. Izumi was so proud of how far all the boys had come as individuals, of how far Mankai Company had come as a whole. They read with more confidence and expression than they used to, but there were always still things she had to point out from a third-party point of view.

“Azami-kun, although Finn is quite outgoing and friendly, he’s still suspicious of Kipa at first for potentially causing property damage. You seem a little…” she wracked her brain for a word that was not ‘lovestruck’, because that would embarrass him. “…too happy to have met.” 

Izumi understood that it could be difficult to put personal feelings aside, which is why character dynamics were often influenced by the relationships of the actors. However, sometimes it was necessary to stamp down those feelings for a more accurate portrayal of the characters. On the bright side, at least there was no risk of a surprise practice make out session with these two, unlike some other pairs…

“And Kumon-kun, you sound like you care too much in the earlier scenes. I know you care about Azami-kun greatly, but Kipa is wary of this man who suddenly comes to his house to question him. You can sound like you care more later, but for the time being please try to refrain.” Izumi briefly wondered how a woman in her late twenties sounded like telling a pair of teenaged boys to essentially, stop acting so in love.

“Okay~” Kumon sang. Azami agreed as well with a steady voice, though Izumi could see the slight tinge of red dusting his cheeks.

“Tsuzuru-kun, this has nothing to do with your acting, but I know you’re thinking about how switching the leads has made them different from the characters you originally envisioned. Please relax. You’ll have frown lines before you turn 30.”

Of course, Tsuzuru frowned in response.  
\--

Costume measurements came and went uneventfully. The actors for this play had changed only minimally from previously recorded sizes, although Kumon had filled out over the past year. He would be taller than Kazunari soon. Yuki had clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, though he figured his troupemate could still grow further, judging from his older brother’s build.

Despite being younger, Azami seemed to have hit his adult height already, just like Yuki himself. Unlike Yuki, Azami stood taller than the average male height, whereas Yuki saw ladies taller than him somewhat frequently. Oh well, he could always wear heels.

The costumes this time around were not very fancy, as the characters were simply ordinary townsfolk. Sakuya had a dark tailcoat over a crisp white shirt, with a cravat around his neck, the very image of a prominent figure. On the flip side, Tsuzuru’s overalls were the epitome of a ‘Villager C’ look.

“Azami looks so gorgeous~”

“You’d better not rumple his outfit, Brocon Mini!”

“I won’t, I won’t,” Kumon giggled as he toyed with Azami’s new scarf. “He’ll look like an angel in the opening scene! Coming down from the sky to save me.”

“Geez,” Azami swatted the purple-haired boy’s hands away, though there was no force behind it. “Yuki-san’s gonna get mad at you.”

Although he was concerned about the costumes being kept pristine, Yuki was also amused by the pair’s interactions. He was thankful the dam of awkwardness between them had broken the previous year, though he only knew of it because Muku had talked about ‘Kyu-chan’s change in relationship status’ in great detail. Yuki never questioned how the fluffy-haired boy knew so much; it was just one of the many parts of Muku that Yuki had come to know and appreciate.

The teenage designer never teased this particular pair about their relationship, but he had to stifle a laugh when he followed Azami’s eyeline. The black-haired boy was trying to be subtle about it, yet Yuki could clearly tell what was holding his attention. Who knew his co-lead’s exposed collarbones could have such an effect?

Yuki admired Azami’s efforts to hide how smitten he was, even if he was clearly failing. Whatever, as long as it did not affect his performance on stage.  
\--

Mankai Company having their own theatre was so convenient; there was no waiting for other groups to finish, no worrying about holding up the next group if they chose to practice a little longer. It had also spawned a rather amusing tradition – sleeping on the stage. It went all the way back to Spring Troupe’s first performance, when Sakuya had suggested it in order to ‘really feel the stage’, and somehow the entire troupe had ended up sleeping there in a big mess.

The actors were no longer inexperienced like they had been back then, awkwardly getting into their roles like newborn fawns learning how to walk. Sakuya still proposed they sleep on the stage anyway, because no other way of bonding a group of performers was quite the same.

Tsuzuru asked Sakuya if they would be third and fourth wheeling, but Sakuya reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. If anything, that particular pair would be more endearing than scandalous, because ‘Azami-kun would never let that happen in public!’

All Tsuzuru saw Mankai’s youngest couple doing the entire night was hug, albeit in a one-sided way. They were cute, sure, but it did not help build his database of ‘things couples do’, that he had been trying to develop in order to write a full romance someday. In fact, he felt like they still acted like their relationship was a recent development, with the shy gazes and tentative touches.

There was nothing wrong with it, but sources told him that they still had not kissed after over a year of being together. _Holy hell,_ Tsuzuru thought. _Kumon has the patience of a saint._

At the same time, there was something soothing about knowing that people did not always need to jump straight into the physical aspects of a relationship. Being each other’s emotional and mental support, always willing to offer comfort, was far more fascinating than the lust-fueled couples he had often seen in university. Those people moved fast, and were just as quick to break off their relationship after the initial attraction had worn off.

Tsuzuru sometimes imagined what would happen to them if they split up, and had tried to incorporate that into the story for their play. They had both immediately vetoed his sadder ending, opting for the hopeful one where they could have the possibility of a happily ever after. It was fair enough, since Tsuzuru knew it would hurt deeply to lose a loved one.

It was sweet, thought Tsuzuru. This way, they got to have their happy ending twice.


	6. The Future Stage of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Childhood/ **Future** /Home
> 
> As his final task to become a full-fledged detective, Finn is sent to investigate a series of strange happenings in Nazo town. His new house was bought at an astoundingly cheap price.
> 
> No matter how hard he tries, there are some things people refuse to talk about...
> 
> "People often mask their true intentions, you know?"

Ever since Kumon had graduated from Tsukushi High and moved on to university, Azami had been a lot less distracted during school time. There was no more looking out the window to catch a glimpse of his partner, although he still caught himself thinking about Kumon often. _You’re still getting distracted_ , he would chide himself, before chasing away the offending thoughts and bringing his focus back to the equations on the blackboard. He would see Kumon and the rest of his troupemates in the dorm that evening.

On the other side of things, practically all of Kumon’s university friends had heard about his partner and his brother and the entire Mankai Company, because he simply could not help but talk about the things he loved. Everyone accepted that he had a pretty high school girlfriend (?) who was taller than him (??), good at makeup and liked playing soccer.

Then one day, Kumon had handed out flyers for his theatre troupe’s upcoming play. “WELCOME TO NAZO TOWN”, it read in large block letters, with “People often mask their true intentions, you know?” as the tagline. But what really caught his friends’ attention were the names engraved into the clouds, floating lazily above the row of houses and the leads.

“Is this the Azami you always talk about?” a dark-haired girl commented, pointing at the scarf-wearing boy on the poster. The girl, Miyu, shared several classes with Kumon, and was always extremely curious about Azami. Of course, Kumon was happy to go on at length about him.

“Yep! He’s been practicing really hard as the lead, so I’ve been trying my best to support him! You can see how cool he really is if you come catch one of our performances, this picture doesn’t even show half of it~” Miyu could not describe Kumon as anything other than star struck, his eyes sparkling as he praised his love.

After Kumon departed, a fellow classmate of theirs shook her head sadly at Miyu. “I don’t think you have a chance in this timeline, Miyu-chan.”  
\--  
Peeking out through the curtains, Kumon spotted a few of his new classmates among the audience. They were clustered on the left side in the middle rows, whispering to each other. Yamaguchi was there too, together with another one of his former teammates. It felt amazing to receive support from so many people, and yet…

Even though he had put on so many performances, being on stage never ceased to make him nervous. There were always so many ‘what ifs’ running through his mind at once. What if he forgot his lines? What if the curtains caught fire? What if a prop fell over and-

“Kumon? Kumon, look at me.” A pair of hands gripped his shoulders firmly. “You’ll be fine. _We’ll_ be fine.”

He had been too lost in thought to notice that he was swaying on his feet. “Sit down for a bit, I’ll get you some water.”

“Thank you, Azami.” He was supposed to be supporting Azami as the co-lead, but Azami had ended up supporting him too. It was silly, but it made sense. They could help each other fill in the missing parts to strive further, like two entwined vines growing upwards towards the sun.

Tsuzuru watched them in amusement from a distance. “They’re cute, aren’t they,” Sakuya chuckled next to him. When he had first thought about writing a play for the last members of the Summer and Autumn Troupes as leads, a simple high school romance had come to mind. They rarely did plays in a school setting, partially due to how few Mankai Company members were actually still in high school or could pass off as high schoolers.

However, Muku had talked him out of it, because “Tsuzuru-san, with all due respect, wouldn’t that be really close to reality? I don’t feel like it would be fun to act almost as yourself… ah, but I probably shouldn’t stick my nose into your business since it’s not my place.”

It was a really good point, but he had lacked any other substantial ideas. “It’s alright Muku, do you have any suggestions then? Since I think you know both of them better than I do.”  
Muku had immediately brightened up, and the words tumbled out of him in a rush, though not incoherently. An idyllic town with a patch of darkness in the scenery. A man who physically hid who he was. A young witch trying to achieve his dream. And at the root of it all, a leader with an ulterior motive.

It was not overly complicated, but Tsuzuru liked it. Well, being cast in the play was not something he liked or anticipated, but he dealt with it like Izumi dealt with a house full of eccentric males.

For the next two hours, four of them would not be themselves. Sakuya stepped out onto the stage, and closed his eyes as the curtains rose.  
\--  
The play started off with the town mayor, Lorelai, played by Sakuya, holding a meeting in a café with most of the townspeople. “Our plan will be complete soon, once we get the Witch,” he said with absolute confidence and force. “And we will be able to achieve happiness for all.”

Suddenly, the watchman burst into the scene. “The Witch is here!” he cried loudly. The townspeople immediately began to flow out of the venue, returning to their homes or jobs as if they had never left. 

(This opening scene had only been added right at the end of Tsuzuru’s script-writing process.

“Tsuzuroon, this is hyper rad!” Kazunari had told him, with a look of wonder. “But the deity-summoning cult kinda came out of nowhere…”)

Meanwhile, Finn, played by Azami, flew down from above on a broom, landing unceremoniously in the pile of leaves that his new neighbour, played by Tsuzuru, was sweeping. “Woah!”

“What a terrible landing,” Nolkath, the neighbour, muttered.

Finn laughed nervously in reply. Although he was powerful, he was still clumsy and had messed up his cool entrance. He told Nolkath about his dream to become a full-fledged detective, and that solving the case in this town was his final task as a trainee. “The higher-ups told me it wasn’t a difficult case, so they were fine to send someone more inexperienced.”

After that, he set to fixing up the house he was going to stay in. It had been extremely cheap, but that was in part due to its dilapidated condition. As he was doing so, Lorelai came by to welcome him as a new member of the town. Since he was the mayor, Finn took the opportunity to ask him about the town and its history; he was a detective after all, right? 

(Tsuzuru had originally written Finn’s role with Kumon in mind, but Azami playing him gave the young man a determined curiosity, rather than an enthusiastic one.)

In return, Lorelai drilled Finn about being a Witch, and a pureblood at that. The scene ended with Lorelai’s expression darkening as he warned Finn, “Stay away from the house at the end of the road… if you don’t want to become cursed, too.”

Carrying out his duty, Finn set forth to inspect the last house. There was nothing out of the ordinary on the exterior, the front lawn kept short and simple. It was a respectable looking house, a bit large for only one person, but since he was also going to stay alone in a similarly-sized house it was nothing to be suspicious of.

“Finn,” someone called from a distance. It was Nolkath, trying to keep a certain radius from the house. “Don’t loiter. It’s dangerous… I wish he would leave.” Heeding his advice, Finn left shortly after and returned to his house.

There were noises outside during the night, but Finn figured it was just some active nightlife like the city he had come from. He saw the shadow of Nolkath pass by at some point as well.

The next morning, Finn found Nolkath clearing a large circle of crops off his front yard. 

“I saw you pass by my house last night, guess you’re a night owl huh.”

Nolkath’s expression turned confused. “You must have been seeing things.”

“Anyway, that kind of looks like a summoning circle, I remember seeing it in another case.”

“I-Is that so?” Nolkath replied fearfully. “It must have been him. It’s always him. I shouldn’t have gone so close yesterday…”

It turned out he was referring to the last house’s inhabitant, so Finn once again found himself in front of that large house at the end of the road. He needed to find out why the mayor and his neighbour kept pinpointing the person who lived there; it was unnerving and he was worried for Nolkath as well. 

It had a large, old-style brass knocker. One, two, three knocks. The door swung open and he was dragged inside, the door slamming shut behind him.

“State your purpose.”

Finn was not discouraged. “I’m here to investigate the strange happenings in this town! Who are you?” 

(It was funny to see the normally stoic Azami act as such a peppy character, thought Tsuzuru. It had been a bit jarring and unnatural at first, until Izumi had advised him to think of how Kumon would have played the role. Tsuzuru was not entirely sure how that connected, but it appeared to have worked. Channeling his inner Kumon, he supposed.)

“Did the mayor send you here?” The young man, played by Kumon, asked sternly. The outside of the house was well-kept, but its inhabitant donned a ragged outfit.

(It was good that he had learnt how to be more serious during an earlier play. Tsuzuru had been so worried that the mysterious young man would become far too cheerful when Izumi had ordered the role swap.)

“Jeez, at least give me your name first…”

The young man introduced himself as Kipa and insisted that he had nothing to do with Nolkath’s uprooted crops. “But why do people keep warning me about you?”

Kipa only shook his head sadly and murmured, “I’m not the one you should be worried about. The real monsters are people who judge others too quickly.”

“But what do you-”

“I think you should leave,” Kipa said quickly, before pushing Finn out the front door. Finn’s first visit to the last house bore almost no fruit. 

(Kumon did however, have a lot of difficulty acting cold towards Azami in the earlier scenes. He was always so sunny around the younger boy, but it ruined his portrayal and Tsuzuru absolutely refused to have it. Sure, his troupemates’ way of bringing his characters to life did not always match up with how he envisioned them originally, but there was a limit to it.)

Over the next few days, Finn spoke to various townspeople and found out about the existence of an odd book club that many people participated in. Allegedly, the mayor was their leader. During his conversations, he would often get asked to fix or help out with something using magic, and grew quite popular with the people.

“We sit in a circle, trade books and read.”

“We pick a few different books each week and discuss them the next!”

“We like to dream up fantastical worlds together~”

They were not consistent about their activities, but perhaps they were broken up into small groups who did different things? Finn always preferred to go with an innocent until proven guilty route as opposed to the reverse, because incriminating the wrong person was one of his worst fears.

After a few days of Finn’s persistent attempts to hold a conversation, Kipa finally relented and allowed Finn to come in for tea. Even though he claimed not to be the perpetrator, Finn suspected that Kipa was somehow the key to solving the odd occurrences that had been reported. He heard about how Kipa’s family members had moved away one by one, tired of the town, until only his grandmother and he were left. “A year ago, my sweet grandma left me too, so that’s why only I’m here.” 

She had cared for him, teaching him how to cook, sew, garden, how to live until her eventual passing. “She told me life is best if you have someone by your side. But I don’t… I don’t think that will happen for me. I’ll probably grow old by myself~” The line was said with a smile, but the words carried a certain weight behind them.

"If you can sew, why do you always wear such tattered clothes?"

"It was a gift from her, and it's the only physical memento I have left."

Sometimes, they would see Lorelai pass by the house, but he was just being a good mayor and checking up on his people, was he not?

(Tsuzuru had written this scene as taking place over a few days for several reasons. One, he preferred it if none of the characters had excessively long monologues, which he had in an earlier draft. Two, it felt weird if they bonded too quickly. He had meant for the leads to end as close friends, but with the way they held eye contact and grew more relaxed with their body language as the days passed, Tsuzuru felt like the audience might interpret it another way. Oh well. It would not be the first time the Mankai Company Gays struck one of his scripts.)

Finn inquired about the book club he kept hearing about. “Are you part of it, since you’ve been living here your whole life?”

“Nope, but sometimes I see the lights in that café off and the curtains drawn in the daytime, when I go out to buy things. It’s bad for their eyes if they read in the dark like that…”

“I’ve never run into you when out shopping before.”

“T-That’s…” It was an odd topic to get sensitive over, but everyone had things they preferred not to discuss, so Finn dropped it. He was doing his best not to antagonise any of the townspeople, after all.

(“How do I act nervous?” Kumon had asked during practice. “You’re nervous pretty often, so shouldn’t you know this?” “Being nervous and acting nervous are different…” Sakuya had suggested having shifty eyes or slight fidgeting, nothing too obvious. “I guess you could try putting on a fake smile? I was looking through signs that people were lying for my role too.”)

One day, there was a break-in at the local candle shop in the evening. The shopkeeper claimed to have seen Kipa there, but Finn knew it was impossible because he had been with him at the time. With a solid alibi, the shopkeeper had no choice but to search for another culprit. “You don’t understand, that freak could be anyone, anywhere.”

Puzzled by the shopkeeper’s words, Finn demanded to know who Kipa really was. Having his innocence defended by the trainee detective was enough to convince him that he could share. A shapeshifter, he said. “It’s true, I am a freak. Everyone was afraid I would bring shame to the family, because rumours had already spread shortly after I was born. In this kind of town, everyone is nosy about everyone else’s lives, and of course having a freak of nature kid would be a problem. That’s the real reason my family moved away.”

The blame for crimes and other unexplained occurrences was often placed upon him because he could take on the face of anyone who he knew. At the same time, there had never been any concrete proof of him actually being guilty. “People feel better if there’s someone to blame, though. So it was always me, because it could have been me, and that was enough for most.”

However, because he knew people would glare at him judgmentally, he had taken to never showing his true face outside. “It would be so much easier if I could become a cute cat to escape from the stares, but ever since grandma passed away, I’ve only ever been able to turn into fellow humans.”

“She must have been very important to you.”

“Grandma was… the only person who loved me.”

Suddenly, his expression turned sheepish. “I, um, about the going out thing, I have copies of people’s attire too so it won’t look odd when I go out, even yours… Should I get rid of it?”  
“No, it-it’s alright.” A bit disturbing, but it was the truth he had asked for.

Another day, Lorelai suddenly invited Finn out for tea at the café that the book club always gathered at. “It is my duty to know all the townspeople,” he said. Unbeknownst to them, Kipa, disguised as the watchman, had spotted them in the town area and tailed them to the café, because he had never trusted the mayor.

As instructed by the mayor earlier, the barista had spiked the tea before serving it to Finn. However, his animated gestures while talking about the people he had met in the town knocked over his cup before he took a sip. Finn apologised profusely for his clumsiness before leaving.

Lorelai cursed as his plan to knock the Witch out for capture had been thwarted. “No matter, we shall simply head over to his house tonight.”

“It’s the last thing we need, right?” The barista engaged in conversation easily. “The crops and the candles have already been prepared. It’s a shame we couldn’t get that thing to leave, but I’ll take what we can get.”

“Goodness me, not so loud. But yes, all we need is the Witch’s soul, and blessings shall be upon us.”

(Tsuzuru felt like Sakuya made an amazing villain, because no one would ever suspect the pure-hearted boy of being the mastermind.)

Horrified by what he heard, Kipa made a beeline for Finn’s house to tell him to leave the town. “Sorry,” Finn said, tilting his head in a quizzical fashion. “Who are you?”

“Close the door,” Kipa quickly stepped into the house as the disguise of the watchman melted away.

“Oh.”

Finn refused to believe that such a lovely town was hiding something so sinister.

“Fine, have it your way. But I’m staying the night, just in case.”

Later that night, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Kipa said. “Go hide somewhere, if anything happens to me, I want you to leave this town immediately.”

“But-”

“Promise me.”

Finn reluctantly ducked behind the sofa, as Kipa morphed into a perfect replica of him before opening the door.

“Lorelai! What brings you here at this h-”

Before he could finish his sentence, a heavy object hit him on the back of his head and he fell unconscious. He was then dragged away, as Finn watched in shock.

After collecting a few of his belongings, Finn grabbed his broom and flew out through the second-floor window. He would not be coming back.

A while later, with “Finn” bound by anti-magic seals, the cult prepared for their final ritual. However, shapeshifter magic was not affected and Kipa slipped back to how they usually looked, shocking the townspeople. 

Although he was not the correct sacrifice, Lorelai ordered his death for ruining their town’s chance at receiving the deity’s blessing. However, the ropes had loosened during the transformation, and Kipa was able to turn into a dove to escape.

The curtains closed, but right before they hit the bottom one more line rang out. “I will definitely find you again.”  
\--  
The exhilaration of finishing a performance never changed. Tiring, but fulfilling.

“Curtain call time,” Azami had to shout to be heard over the cheers of the audience. The two leads stepped out first, followed by the supporting cast.

Because they were from different troupes, it was their first time standing on their home stage side-by-side. The lights were blinding and the crowd was deafening, but all they could focus on was gripping each other’s hands tightly as the cast members bowed in a wave that rippled outwards from the centre.

Even after the play was over, they would continue to perform on the future stage of life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miyu appears in the AU story as well, I'm sorry (to her).
> 
> I was afraid that I was off prompt or even just off azakyu week altogether... but I think having everyone else around them observe was also fun. Although I finished late, I'm glad I was able to complete all the prompts for this week.
> 
> Big thanks to mayu, nep, Gen, Alfy and fura for helping me check through various scenes! And to you, for reading ^^


End file.
